MH-202 Aesop Rock - Float"So I heard you all want to float" bellows Aesop Rock, causing the flood gates to burst. Aesop Rock's first full-length effort, Float, contains twenty tracks of Avenue A hip-hop deluge and exemplifies the classic explosiveness of the sub-terra MC. It is the sound of a new New York underground speaking in full. With pinpoint production handled by Aesop and his main man, Blockhead, Float roars and rushes to the forefront. The release features guest appearances by Vastaire of Cannibal Ox, Slug of Atmosphere, and Doseone of Anticon. Dense in meaning and gorgeous in sound, Aesop holds nothing back, creating a work destined to become a landmark. Float is one of the year's most anticipated underground hip-hop releases and one that delivers on each and every line.

Aesop Rock is one of the dopest emcees to pick up the mic in the last few years. I remember first hearing him when my man put me up on his mp3.com page. "Bad Sumeritan" made my day. Aesop Rock's molasses vocals flow in your ears and make love to your brain. It's a feeling hardly matched by abundance of status quo emcees. Standouts are "Big Bang," "Drawbridge," and "Attention Span." These three songs are most definitely the tightest on the album. Luckily, the album's liner notes come equipped with brief explanations of each song. This is helpful as a lot of Aesop Rock's metaphorical speaking wraps you up in words that are more often than not confusing. "Big Bang" is (according to Aesop Rock's liner notes) "Expressing my desired position. Building the cradle for a dream to rest in the endless journey to impress those who impress you." Doseone and Aesop Rock generate chemistry on "Drawbridge." The beat is on some Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon shit. As both Aesop and Dose have such original flows, and are both veritable heroes of the hip-hop world, this song obviously generates a lot of excitement. The match up of Dose's nasal spitting and Aesop's throaty growl makes the collabo-thirsty listener pipe up and pay attention closely as both Dose and Aesop spit duet-style for the opening bars creating one strange croon-esque sound that embraces the aural senses. - Futility